Chapter 28
RAUL
Today's the day. The eight years dragged on far longer than I ever imagined, endless delays from appeals and bureaucratic bullshit piling up until I was convinced those concrete walls would swallow me alive and never spit out the bones.
Prison carved me hollow at first, stripping sixty pounds of soft bulk until I was raw angles and sinew, rebuilt through punishing workouts in the yard, nights of fractured sleep haunted by what-ifs, and journals crammed with regrets that clawed at me like living things, etching permanent shadows under my eyes.
But now freedom tastes real. I ache for a home-cooked Cuban spread, arroz con pollo steaming hot, the kind Aunt Val used to make before everything went to hell.
Dad stands tall among them, sober three years running.
The lifestyle's poison finally flushed from his system after watching it nearly bury me.
He looks sharp, healthy, the lines around his eyes softer.
Almost peaceful. A new tattoo covers his right arm — a portrait of Mom, her smile captured forever in vivid detail.
No more numbing the grief with bottles or business; facing it head-on changed him.
Aunt Val's thriving too. That lawsuit payout let her breathe for once.
Her frame's filled out healthy, no more hollow cheeks from the grind and pain.
She's clutching a Tupperware of food, and I can't help but hope it's her empanadas.
Her grip's steady from physical therapy three times a week.
She's focused on sticking around to witness it all.
Diego and Harvee eloped quietly six years back, holding off the big wedding bash just for me.
Their toddler Lincoln perches on Harvee's hip now.
His dark curls are a wild mop, framing eyes full of mischief.
He's the spitting image of little DJ at that age, adventure sparking wild.
They've carved something solid from the wreckage.
And Olivia. Fuck. Time hasn't touched her.
Timeless, breathtaking, curves poured into jeans that hug like sin.
Her dark red hair has warmed to auburn over the years, experimenting with shades that catch the light just right.
Each new color becomes my favorite on sight.
Every freckle scattered across her skin pulls me in like stars.
I can't wait to get her alone tonight, feel her under my hands without glass or guards between us.
She has no clue yet, but I'm proposing tonight.
We're kicking off with family dinner at that upscale spot perched over the bay. Crisp linen tablecloths under candlelight, waves lapping below like a private soundtrack.
Harvee and Olivia grew inseparable over the years. They bonded like blood sisters through shared scars.
Diego and Harvee made pulling the proposal off seamless. Harvee played it sly and borrowed some of Olivia's jewelry to nail the ring size without a whisper of suspicion. Diego hauled thick catalogs during visits and flipped pages until my eyes locked on the perfect one for her.
The ring features a 2-carat solitaire emerald-cut diamond, set on a delicate rose gold band twisted with tiny accents. He scooped it up under the radar and stashed it in his safe in preparation for tonight.
Everyone I love is gathered close, front row to the moment she says yes, and somehow every piece of this has fallen into place exactly the way it was supposed to. It feels impossible and inevitable at the same time, like the entire last stretch of my life has been bending toward this single night.
After freshening up in the restaurant bathroom, I stop in front of the mirror and adjust my dress shirt, smoothing the fabric over my chest.
For a second, I barely recognize the man staring back at me.
He's not the scared little boy who used to flinch away from every chance at something better.
He's not the version of me that thought he had to stay small to stay safe.
This man looks like someone who's lived through the fire and come out the other side with scars, yes, but also with the right to want more.
The truth lands hard and clean in my chest.
I've earned this. I've earned happiness.
Olivia is by Harvee and Diego, fawning over little Lincoln, and the sight of her does something brutal and tender all at once.
My heart goes soft immediately. I want this life with her.
I want all of it, every loud family dinner, every quiet morning, every version of forever she lets me build beside her.
I walk up behind them, drop to one knee, and pull the ring free.
The room breaks around us in a wave of gasps.
Aunt Val makes a startled sound that turns into a sob.
Olivia's mother rises from the far side of the table, already recording on her phone, her eyes shining with tears.
Olivia turns slowly, like her body understands what's happening before her mind does.
"Olivia," I say, and my throat goes dry halfway through her name.
"Raul," she breathes, shocked and trembling and beautiful in a way that nearly wrecks me.
I hold the ring out with a hand that's somehow steady despite everything crashing through me.
"You've been my rock. You've shown up for me over and over again, even when I fought you every step of the way.
You gave me a reason to keep going when I didn't deserve one.
You stubborn ass, you refused to give up on me, and I'll never stop being grateful for that.
I know I still don't deserve you, but I'll spend the rest of my life trying to earn you.
I'm completely, hopelessly devoted to you, Olivia. Will you marry me?"
Her face crumples in the most beautiful way, tears spilling free as she laughs and cries at once.
"A thousand times, yes. Finally."
And just like that, my whole past loses its grip on me. The guilt, the fear, the years of waiting and bleeding and hoping all fall away into nothing. Nothing matters now except the future opening in front of us, bright and terrifying and ours.
I have waited long enough. Our forever starts now.
This concludes Bound in Blood & Chains. If you have a moment, please consider leaving my story a review.